


Vodka lid shot glasses and badly rolled cigarettes

by helpfulnoodle



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma aftermath, Episode: s02 Zombizou, F/F, Implied/ referenced autistic character, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 14:08:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20725463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helpfulnoodle/pseuds/helpfulnoodle
Summary: Caline was going to buy alcohol again.Mendeliev couldn’t really talk, she was buying cigarettes. Caline had also become an akuma that day.Perhaps they should talk.





	Vodka lid shot glasses and badly rolled cigarettes

**Author's Note:**

> Pls enjoy I’ve been procrastinating changing to a BTEC for A levels by writing this.

Caline was going to buy alcohol again. 

Every week or so, sometimes on the day of an akuma attack on her class, she would buy some. 

She wasn’t an alcoholic, but she was toeing the line. Sometimes when Mendeleiev called to ask about some meeting, her voice would be slurred, and she’d have to repeat the question multiple times for it to actually go in. Sometimes she would walk into school to see the other woman in the staff room trying desperately to stay awake despite be obviously hungover. Once Mendeleiev had caught her trying to come in still drunk, but an akuma had stopped her. That was the only time Mendeleiev had thanked the gods for an akuma. 

Caline was buying vodka today. A cheap, unflavoured, bitter and gritty Russian vodka. 

Mendeleiev couldn’t find the courage to chastise her. Today Caline herself has been a victim of a madman’s manipulation. It was strange to see such a positive woman fall to something like that, fall like that. It just put more of a sick taste in Mendeleievs mouth as she saw the woman deliberate over the price. 

Her scientist brain told her to stop her. Alcohol, especially binge drinking, causes not only liver damage, but heart problems.  
The more social part of the brain told her to point the woman in the direction of the exit, with a promise of coffee and a warm conversation. 

But the nagging anxiety in the back of her mind told her that Caline would brush her off, not take either one seriously, scoff at her and buy an extra bottle in spite. 

In all of her deciding and building courage, Caline had spotted her. She hadn’t meant to stare, but as the other woman began to walk towards her, it became clear that she definitely was. 

“I- I didn’t mean to stare at you”

Caline let out a fond sigh. 

“It’s alright.”

———————————————————

Mendeleiev was buying cigarettes. Or some kind of smoking item. 

Caline noticed the other woman looking in her direction, and looked back at the vodka. Mendeleiev looked unfocused, her eyes were glazed and she was chewing her lip. 

Her eyes snapped up to meet her as Caline started to walk towards her. A goofy smile and a slight stutter greeted her. 

“I-I didn’t mean to stare at you”  
She rubbed the back of her head a little bashfully. 

Caline couldn’t help the fond sigh.  
“It’s alright. How are you? Finally done with your marking?”

“Yeah, Marinette scored high again. How’re you?”

The conversation was strangely comfortable. 

“Pretty good, all things considered.”

She watched Mendeleiev for any kind of reaction. The pin dropped painfully slow, her expression moving from a confused squint to a surprised smile. 

“Oh shit! Yeah. Why don’t we-“ she huffed  
“Do you want to talk about it? I’ll help you bring your shopping home if you can handle me smoking next to you”

Caline smiled again. 

“That’d be nice. I haven’t really had the chance to talk about it. Been dodging reporters all day.” The chuckle was humorless. 

“Then let’s go”

They had to run back after five minuets of walking because Mendeleiev had forgotten to buy any cigarettes. She bought the menthol kind, so Caline wouldn’t smell like cigarette smoke. 

———————————————————

“So. How are you doing?”

They were stopped, stood by the bus stop.  
Mendeleiev rolled the filter between her fingers, trying to pop the menthol bubble. 

“Surprisingly okay, it was just... weird. Like an out of body experience, but I couldn’t even see myself. I was aware of what was happening, and I made decisions, but I couldn’t get it through my mind that it was me attacking people.”

Mendeliev hummed, inhaling deeply. 

“What was it like? Actually getting akumatised?”  
Smoke fell out her mouth as she spoke. 

“Like a bucket of cold water was dropped on me, and it just kept coming every time he spoke. You’ve got to understand, I tried to resist him. But it was impossible, he twisted my word and it was - did you just break your lighter?”

She stared up at her colleague, who was staring intently. Who was standing on a broken lighter. 

“Damn it. This is why I just buy the cheap ones.”

“How long have you been smoking?”

“Uh” she stopped to take another drag “since I was about 14-15? I smoked that sterling stuff that smells like barbecue sauce for the longest time, rolled cigarettes. I have to buy straights now because I’m an adult. Might go back to rollies though, they were a lot cheaper. Sorry I was rambling”

Caline just blanched at her.  
“Since you were 14? You’re what, 37? That’s 24 years?!”

Mendeleiev shrugged guiltily. 

“My parents smoked. Besides I’ve gone down a lot since then. Used to be able to smoke one in a minute. Now I only have 2 or 3 a day”

“You’re going to get lung cancer”

“You’re going to get liver failure. Everyone has a vice Caline”

The two stood in awkward silence until the bus arrived. 

“I’m sorry” Mendeleiev said sheepishly. 

“It’s fine. Listen, do you want to come to mine for a bit, I’ll cook if you help me do my marking.”

“Sounds good Caline” the goofy grin was back, and as they got onto the bus, Mendeleiev stumbled on the step. There was at least that amount of normalcy. 

The bus ride was tiresome, especially in Parisian traffic, but it was comfortable among friends. Even the begrudgingly long walk up the apartment building stairs seemed fine. 

Caline would get through this, it was a rough patch. The day after she would talk to a therapist about her drinking problem, and why she got akumatised in the first place. But before that, there was lasagna, and falling asleep smelling cigarette smoke and tasting tobacco on her lips. 

Caline was going to buy alcohol again, but she swapped it with some horrendous fruity drink her college had suggested. She also fell asleep on said colleagues chest. 

———————————————————

The night went dark, ladybug and chat noir patrolled the city. The strange sense of normalcy returned. If you could ever call the city of love normal.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I (try to) write Mendeleiev as autistic. It fits her character and there’s not much representation in the show.


End file.
